The final day the Gods descend: Kuningan 2013

Ibu and I the night before creating the billions of canang 

it's about all i can do

the family compounds have a designated room/space to keep all the upacara materials+ baskets; it's immense

at Ina Inn, the women vociferously  chatting, but their hands are busy

Cousin Kadek is making the  ceningan- which are the protective deities for the cars + motorcycles

Well, it has finally happened. I went to so many temples for Kuningan*, visited and prayed that I have actually lost count.  I'd venture somewhere between 20-30.  And I loved every minute of it!  
* Kuningan translates as "yellow" representing the yellow rice that is prepared for the holiday (turmeric added)

After Ayu prepared us the most delicious dinner: including my favorite: jackfruit curry , she went right to work making 40  of these offerings that included yellow rice, bananas, starfruit, sugarcane  and a whole lot of spices and herbs

before we rode in the car, we had an entire blessing ceremony

here's an example of lamak + ceningan

more on the motorbike

Ayu with ceningan- Are you getting the idea of why i stick with with putting little bits of flower and chiffonade pandan leaves in the canang.

The  10 day holiday that spans Galungan - Kuningan is the period of time that the Balinese believe the Gods descend in their temples.  This is the time to ask the Gods to Bless and Protect everything; including the motorcycles and cars.

No, they never relax; Auntie (who lives in Jantuk's compound and is crippled but doesn't let anything get in her way.)
Everyone is taken care of ........and has a role in the family compound

Again this in another example of the ceningan

I spent the early morning until about 2pm in Bunutan.
 Therefore visiting all the family temples as well as the temples in the village, not just desa + dalem but the garden temples, the old temples, the Wisnu temples.,the market (pasar) temples.....well virtually everyone is busy trying to fit them all in.  Whew.... I've never watched the Great  Race.....but I have to say that did come to mind for me.  It's not that the Balinese are anything but deliberate, thoughtful and patient.....but I can imagine more individuals than Jantuk and I having difficulty sleeping the night before.  And don't even bother "going through the motions"........... Intention is everything; your mind and body must coalesce into a spiritual dominion despite the externals. You inner world must focus on devotion.  Sounds easy....?
Well they sure do make it look easy and natural.

meeting Ketut (Dedik's wife) at a small garden temple..... to bless all of mother nature

Here is Wayan, the only girl cousin in the entire Sudiana compound.  This year she is old enough to do the blessings and go to the temple.   (which was needed as Ayu again had her "time of the month" and was not allowed to enter any temples)  She patiently led me around to them all.

so , this is what we carry to all the small temples and family temples we visited.  Incense is at the top/ we purify ourselves with this, we leave the small canangs for the gods and place larger ones also.

young Wayan at one of the small alters (there are always 4 at each temple representing the directions), we must do the prayers and blessings and offerings at each

Jantuk at the pasar temple

Here we are back in Jantuk's family temple, in one of the meru  - the pagodas

Ibu blessing

with "holy water"...... we are blessed with Ylangylang blossoms

even the youngest learn to pray

Kadek, this is a ceremonial tie for the children: for protection

After concluding all the temples in Bunutan, there was one I  still  had to see.  This was the Pura Dalem, and I had not seen it completely reconstructed (see blog from Feb 2012).  I had missed the odalan in May.  It really took my breath away.  I have two favorite temples in all of Bali and Bunutan's 4 year reconstructed Pura Dalem is one of them. For Sheer BEAUTY and scale  I am beguiled. (the other one is Penulisan- for height ,grandeur and sacredness of place)

Entering the site of the Pura Dalem ("inner" + death)
Death is only rebirth/reincarnation to the Hindu Balinese

Garuda

less than a year old and the patina of plants + moss are adding age and character

over the doorway

at the entryway 

the cousins lead me in the boiling heat..... notice the rice from praying

The detail... all hand done by artisans- this Still done regularly in the 21 C.  Artistry LIVES

At about 2pm (after blessing the vehicles) we headed to Tabanan, a district in the south east.  We were going to visit Ayu's family (remember when a woman weds she lives in her husband's family's compound) in the town on MallKangin.
Ayu's family is a higher caste (Yes, Jantuk married UP) and her father is a mangghu (priest).   I was thrilled to finally meet the other side of the family.  The ride was beautiful, filled with terraced rice paddies and Tanah Lot Pura, a very famous temple in Bali built out into the water. I was welcomed as family and it felt that way.

Ayu and Pak Gusti (yes, his religious duties over,.... he was amusingly dressed in western clothing)

But Ibu blessed us as we went to the family temple and prayed

These are Ayu's sister + sisters in law.  Everyone had gotten out of their "holiday wear" by the time we arrived

Yes, these women are as FUN as they are beautiful.....we had long conversations as their kids would come by. we laughed so much.  They ALL work in the Tourist industry. Ferbie,  Luhde, Isa and Gex

So on arriving home, late into the night....... with more than a glow of sweat on my brow (and continual  praying on your knees wreaks havoc with your pedicure) I too was finally able to disrobe, get out of my kebaya (purple + gold), kain (sarong), (pumpkin+ russets + lavender) and temple sash..... only to have a surplus of rice fall out of Everywhere.  I laughed at the way "sacredness" plays out.
It had been another extraordinary day, filled with Learning and the joy of being with the Balinese.  I may be falling out of love with Ubud, but my love and deep admiration for Bali remains.  And what is Bali if not the open and intelligent people that I am fortunate to know and meet each day I am here.  It all feels very natural to me (except the soaring temperatures every single day), but it's a small price to pay for what I receive by being here and interacting with the people of Bali.  And there is a hell of a lot of laughter.


travelin' woman